Florida Gov. Rick Scott is appointing a former legislator and Miami-Dade politician as lieutenant governor and his running mate for 2014.

Scott on Tuesday named Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Carlos Lopez-Cantera to the post, and the appointment will take effect on Feb. 3. The move comes nearly 10 months after former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll abruptly resigned.

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"I'm very excited to be part of the governor's team," Lopez-Cantera said. "I want to thank the governor. (It is a) tremendous honor to serve the citizens of Florida."

Lopez-Cantera called the appointment an "opportunity that could not be ignored or denied, because I'll be representing the entire state."

The position had been vacant since Carroll resigned in March after being linked to a charity group at the center of an illegal gambling investigation.

Lopez-Cantera, a 40-year-old Miami Republican, served eight years in the Florida Legislature, rising to the position of House Majority Leader from 2010 to 2012. He was elected property appraiser in 2012.

Lopez-Cantera was in the real estate business and worked on property tax issues while in the Legislature.

She believes a Hispanic partner will help improve Scott's chances for re-election -- 62 percent of Hispanic voters cast a ballot in 2012.

"He was never considered before until the numbers in the Miami community start getting lower for Gov. Scott," she said. "I think he said, 'OK, I think this maybe can be a good move for my election.'"

Scott was criticized for vetoing a bill last year that would have given those with temporary citizenship driver's licenses. He could benefit from Lopez-Cantera's appeal to the state's 4.3 million Latino voters.

Foglesong says the new lieutenant governor's success will depend on his charisma.In a recent Huffington Post poll, Scott's Democratic challenger Charlie Crist trumped Scott by more than 10 percent, a number Scott hopes to overturn with a history-making ally on his side.

The campaign for Scott's Democratic challenger Charlie Crist released a response statement on Tuesday morning. It says, "Our campaign is focused on putting the people back in charge and protecting the middle class from four more years of Rick Scott's extreme partisanship."